Today’s old time phrase that we shall decipher is, “Rough around the edges.”

This one was suggested by JSteeleWrites, so thank you, my friend… I’ll give it my best shot!

We’ve all used this phrase at one time or another, so one would think that it might be simple to uncover the actual meaning and origin. Actually, I’m a bit unsure, now that I truly think on it, as to where it may have come from, and I’m not even fully sure that I understand why they said it!

As it seems to refer to the edge of a thing, my brain goes to where I might use it in an explanation, which would be sewing.

Either that, or something else that requires precise measurements or lines. I wouldn’t want to present something as flawless, if it weren’t, even if it were nearly so. If the finished product was a usable item for use, or a pie that were still delicious to eat, maybe I would suggest that “it’s a bit rough around the edges”, as it’s still good to eat.

Maybe a cartographer might assure you that the map is accurate, even if “it’s rough around the edges.”

It may even have to do with wood, during the carving or cutting of wood for building things.

Ok, that’s all I got! Now let’s see what Googlini has to say about it:

Wikipedia was my first stop, allowing us an actual definition to look upon…

Adjective

rough around the edges (comparative rougher around the edges, superlative roughest around the edges)

1. (idiomatic) In need of refinement; unsophisticated. While rough around the edges, the church is really a wonderful place to be. The north side of town is a less expensive, rougher round the edges choice for a young family. His writing is appealing, but a bit rough around the edges.

So far, I’m a bit disappointed at there being no other meaning, aside from the dictionary’s bland “not real good, but getting better” kind of description. Let’s search a bit more, in hopes of finding the phrase, or idiom’s, true origin.

When I typed in the question, “what is the origin of rough around the edges?” I found this on Tumblr…

Origin: The expression is probably early to mid 20^th century, though the word “rough” itself is very old going back to Old English making it prior to the 11^th century. It was originally spelled “ruh” and had a gutteral sound at the end, later signified by the “gh” when the spelling changed.

Usage:  Informal, spoken, general American and British English.

Idiomatic Meaning:  Someone who is lacking in sophistication and/or refinement. It can refer to social class as well as personality

Literal Meaning: An object with a surface that is not smooth and even or soft to the touch, having imperfections

Here I’ve been using this phrase for everything but people… how very odd. I think that I like my definitions better… just sayin!

Remember, if you leave me to my own devices, not offering up any more old sayings to decipher, I’ll simply come up with my own! I know just enough to be dangerous…